In the recent years, increasing number of vehicle accidents result from driver's attention being distracted due to the use of a communication device, such as a mobile phone and/or a vehicle communication system. With the development of “smart” and easy to use communication devices, such as smartphones and tablets, many drivers are tempted to use and operate these devices during driving. For example drivers often text messages to friends or other third parties, make phone calls and/or even for browse the internet. Due to this phenomenon, there is a rise in the number of accidents resulting from driver's distraction.
Various known techniques improving driving safety, are adapted for monitoring the vehicle's environment and/or the driving and providing the driver with warnings relating to risk presenting elements/events.
For example, U.S. patent publication No. 2012105639 discloses a system mountable in a motor vehicle. The system includes a camera and a processor configured to receive image data from the camera. The camera includes a rolling shutter configured to capture the image data during a frame period and to scan and to read the image data into multiple image frames. A near infra-red illuminator may be configured to provide a near infra-red illumination cone in the field of view of the camera. The near infrared illumination oscillates with an illumination period. A synchronization mechanism may be configured to synchronize the illumination period to the frame period of the rolling shutter. The frame period may be selected so that the synchronization mechanism provides a spatial profile of the near infra-red illumination cone which may be substantially aligned vertically to a specific region, e.g. near the center of the image frame.
European patent publication No. 2,107,504 discloses a vehicle environment monitoring device and method that is based on transmitting a three-dimensional vector model generated at a vehicle to an external location. The three-dimensional vector model of the vehicle's environment is generated on the basis of the image data captured by at least a three-dimensional camera. Out of the image data, particular data are extracted for generating the three-dimensional vector model in order to reduce the data volume and thus the bandwidth requirements for transmission. Possible applications of the transmitted vector model include, but are not limited to driver assistance, external monitoring and vehicle control, as well as overall traffic monitoring and control. Preferably, a sequence of three-dimensional vector models, representing a three-dimensional space-and-time model, is generated and transmitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,867 discloses a time-to-contact estimate determination system for generating an estimate as to the time-to-contact of a vehicle moving along a roadway with an obstacle. The time-to-contact estimate determination system comprises an image receiver and a processor. The image receiver is configured to receive image information relating to a series of at least two images recorded as the vehicle moves along a roadway. The processor is configured to process the image information received by the image receiver to generate a time-to-contact estimate of the vehicle with the obstacle.
U.S. patent publication No. 2008036576 discloses a method in computerized system mounted on a vehicle including a cabin and an engine. The system including a visible (VIS) camera sensitive to visible light, the VIS camera mounted inside the cabin, wherein the VIS camera acquires consecutively in real time multiple image frames including VIS images of an object within a field of view of the VIS camera and in the environment of the vehicle. The system also including a FIR camera mounted on the vehicle in front of the engine, wherein the FIR camera acquires consecutively in real time multiple FIR image frames including FIR images of the object within a field of view of the FIR camera and in the environment of the vehicle. The FIR images and VIS images are processed simultaneously, thereby producing a detected object when the object is present in the environment.